Uganda has no plans to import Cuban doctors – Minister

The State Minister of Health for General Duties, Sarah Opendi has denied reports that government intends to import medical doctors from Cuba.

Opendi notes that they have no preparations to hire any Cuban doctor citing that the idea was just mooted during the time when doctors were on strike.

“We have no preparations to hire Cuban doctors. This would require us to liaise with the Cuban authorities which hasn’t been done yet,” Opendi told journalists at Parliament on Wednesday adding, “that matter was mooted at the time when doctors were on strike,”

Meanwhile, the idea was on Tuesday contested by doctors under their umbrella body, the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) arguing that the country is not short of medical specialists.

“Government’s move to import Cuban doctors would be okay if it was in 1986 when Uganda was recovering from war. Then, we were at our lowest but in 2016, 30 years down the road, this means that the health sector has gone back to its level of 1986 and in political terms it means government is nowhere,” Dr. Ekwaro Obuku told journalists.